The Lost Boy
by cafeakira
Summary: Six-year old Gon Freecss gets lost in the woods, but little does he know that he's not alone.


Scraped knees, cuts along his arms; you could say Gon Freecss wasn't really having the time of his life at the moment. In fact, he was utterly and hopelessly lost in the woods near his home on Whale Island and it would be dark soon. Bottom lip quivering as he struggled to hold back his tears, he climbed over yet another log, getting another cut in the process. Warm blood trickled down his leg and he whimpered, wishing his Aunt Mito was here, with her kind words and bandaids ready to cover his cuts.

Not only was it growing dark, but the air now held a little chill and he had no jacket. There was no way he could survive in the woods alone at night, especially with all the animals that dwelled here. His Aunt Mito had always warned him not to come into the woods alone, but being the stubborn child he was, he had ignored her warning and he guessed getting lost was his punishment.

Small feet hitting the ground with a thump as he hopped down from the log, he gazes around, arms crossed over his chest in an attempt to stay warm. He didn't recognize the area, and all he saw was an array of trees for as far as his eyes could see; there didn't seem to be an end to them. Tearfully, he took a step forward and he heard a snap. Freezing on the spot, he fearfully looked towards the ground, thinking maybe he stepped onto a twig or something, but there was nothing beneath his feet. Shakily looking up again, he then heard a rustling and quickly looks in the direction from which he heard the sound and saw some bushes shaking. The wind wasn't blowing too hard yet to cause this and frightened, he takes a step back, stumbling over a root of a tree and falling on his bottom.

"Mito-san..." He tearfully called to his aunt, knowing there was no hope in a rescue from the female as she had no clue where he was.

The rustling in the bushes would continue and Gon stood up gingerly, taking a few more steps back before turning around and heading into the trees. Whatever it was, he had to hide. That was something he was pretty good at.

Finding an opening in one of the larger trees, Gon squeezes his small body inside and sits down, back against the bark as he stared wide-eyed out into the forest beyond. That's when he heard it; the squeal of what sounded like an animal and then, silence, followed moments later by a mournful yowl. It sounded so eerie, Gon covered his ears with his small hands in an attempt to shield them from the sound.

The yowl was cut off and crunching noises could be heard, when Gon uncovered his ears. It sounded like a creature feeding off of another and his small body wracked with shivers. Deciding not to be afraid any longer, he stood up, determination on his small face as he stepped out from inside the tree.

Small footfalls sounded on the grass beneath his feet as he walked, coming upon the area he had so desperately escaped moments earlier. What greeted him though, wasn't what he was expecting.

Blood stained the grass around him, the scent of death in the air. Covering his nose quickly with a small hand, his body wracked harshly, as he held back his vomit. The corpse of a wolf pup lay before his feet, a hole in its chest as if it had its heart ripped out. Growing dizzy from the awful smell, Gon leaned against a tree for support as he tried to process this scene. It wasn't until he came back to his senses, that he realized he wasn't alone. With the slight moonlight shimmering down through the trees, he noticed a small shadow just behind it. His gulp getting caught in his throat, Gon watches, terrified, as the small shadow seemed to stand up and face him.

It took a step forward, finally standing beneath the moonlight and Gon noticed it was a small boy. His face was bloodstained, and with his arms held at his sides, Gon noticed blood dripping from his small pale fingers; the sleeve of the blue sweatshirt he wore stained with blood.

It was rather a disturbing sight, but Gon found his fear fading away as he stared into the bloodstained face of this boy, who seemed to be around the same age he was. A small gentle smile appearing on his small tan features, Gon reaches his arm out towards this boy.

The child didn't move at first, staring at Gon in, what seemed to be a mixture of awe and fear. It took several moments until he took a few steps towards Gon, his feet making a squishing sound as he stepped into blood.

Now mere inches in front of him, Gon notices this child had odd, fluffy white hair, which he found that he liked; he wished he could touch it, but guessed the boy before him might not like it. His pale skin practically shined in the moonlight; with blood dribbling down the side of his cheek. From his condition, Gon guessed this boy had no choice but to eat animals, though the question remained on why the heart of the wolf pup he saw, was ripped out, and so cleanly.

Though the smile was still on his face, brighter now, as he kept his arm extended towards the boy, who now lifted his own bloodstained hand in return, towards Gon.

Hardly caring now, Gon took the bloodied hand of the child into his own and shook it once, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'm Gon! Gon Freecss!" He shouted over the sound of the wind.

The white haired boy blinks at him curiously, before awkwardly returning the shake and mumbling out his own name, though it was loud enough for Gon to still hear.

"I'm Killua. Killua Zoldyck."

Beaming at what he hoped would be his newfound friend, Gon began to tug Killua through the trees, miraculously regaining his sense of direction it seemed, as an opening in a grove of trees ahead indicated where he had entered the woods from. Standing at this entrance, his free arm pointed out in the direction of his home, which he could see from the top of the hill they were currently standing on.

Killua gave him a small nod and Gon led them down onto the lower ground and began to make towards his home.

Arriving at the front door, he rapped on it once, twice, finding it swung open only seconds later, to find his Aunt staring frantically down at him.

"Gon! I was worried si一" She cuts off upon the sight of the bloodied boy beside him, her eyes wide in shock.

"Mito-san!" Gon chirped out. "I'd like you to meet my new friend, Killua!"


End file.
